


Whumptober 2020 - 30 - Unexpected

by Celticgal1041



Series: Whumptober 2020 [30]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Bullet wound, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27293032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celticgal1041/pseuds/Celticgal1041
Summary: While pedestrians around them had already called 911, he pressed his fingers viciously into the tear in her arm to slow the bleeding that was stealing Higgins’ life.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949548
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 2020 - 30 - Unexpected

His hand began to cramp uncomfortably as he pressed harder, determined not to let Higgins bleed out. Besides, it was his fault she was hurt to begin with.

The case had seemed so simple at first; a straightforward insurance fraud with the ‘victim’ of the auto accident being instead a talented conman who’d learned how to bounce off the hoods of cars for a living. They’d been hired by an insurance company after an astute adjuster had put things together, noticing the victim in three of her clients’ accident reports all led to the same injured man. While the names were different, the faces were not, and it had been relatively easy to prove the insurance company’s case.

After passing the appropriate evidence along to their client, plus a copy to HPD, they’d decided to celebrate by walking from the insurance company’s location to a shaved ice stand on the beach. That’s where Adrian Collins had found and confronted them, accusing them of ruining his life now that he was facing imminent arrest and imprisonment.

While the man raved and ranted, neither P.I. had felt overly alarmed since conmen like Collins seldom resorted to violence. Within minutes they were regretting not having taken the man’s presence more seriously.

Higgins had spotted the gun first and shifted her body to push Magnum out of the way. She’d been successful, but hadn’t escaped unscathed, the bullet nicking the inside of her arm. Thomas had reacted immediately after the first shot had been fired and tackled the other man, disarming him after a short struggle and then tying him up with his own belt, an act that had brought a satisfied grin to his face.

When he’d turned to check on Higgins, he’d been shocked to find her swaying alarmingly where she sat on the sidewalk, her face beyond pale and her eyes glazing over. His gaze had darted next to her arm where he’d seen an alarming volume of blood coating the inside of the limb and her entire side. He knew what arterial blood looked like and immediately recognized the severity of the wound, cursing loudly at not having checked on her sooner.

While pedestrians around them had already called 911, and he could hear sirens approaching, he pressed his fingers viciously into the tear in her arm to slow the bleeding that was stealing Higgins’ life. No matter how quickly paramedics arrived, it could not be fast enough in his opinion.

Things seemed to speed up when the EMTs reached his side, and he found himself pushed out of the way, his frozen fingers pried from Higgins’ arm to be replaced by one of the paramedics. In what seemed like only moments later, Juliet was strapped to a stretcher and being loaded into the back of the ambulance, Magnum scrambling hurriedly not to be left behind. The EMT gave him a brief, annoyed look before allowing him entrance, pointing distractedly to a seat before returning to his patient.

Time skipped ahead once more as the trip to the hospital happened in the span of a heartbeat, and Magnum suddenly found himself standing alone, covered in blood, in the surgical waiting room.

“Thomas,” a soft voice brought him back to the here and now, and he blinked to find himself staring into Amy’s concerned eyes.

The nurse reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Juliet is in surgery, and the doctor says she’s doing well. They’re working to repair the artery and also replacing her blood volume. She should be in recovery in a couple hours,” she explained as she continued to hold the investigator’s hand.

“I called Rick when I saw the two of you come in and I expect he’ll be here shortly. In the meantime, I think it would be a good idea for you to get cleaned up.” Releasing his hand, she offered him a folded scrub top to replace his own bloody shirt.

Inhaling shakily, Magnum managed to dredge up a faint smile for the kind-hearted nurse. “Thanks, Amy. I’ll just wait here till Rick arrives in case there’s any news.” The nurse smiled back and nodded, willing to allow the man a few more minutes before he left to get changed.

“Ah, speak of the devil,” Amy teased as she caught sight of the Rick and TC heading their way. “I’ll be back when I have another update,” she promised.

Magnum felt nearly dizzy with relief at the appearance of his friends, grateful beyond measure that he wouldn’t be waiting alone for Juliet’s surgery to conclude. “Any news?” Rick asked as soon as they were close enough.

“Yeah, Amy said Higgy’s doing okay and should be out of surgery in a couple hours,” Thomas replied. Given the amount of blood covering Magnum’s shirt and hands, it was a minor miracle that their friend’s prognosis was so positive.

“What happened?” TC asked as he pointed to a set of nearby seats, the friends wearily dropping into them.

Magnum shook his head as he stared at the scrub top in his hands. “It was stupid,” he began. “He was just a two-bit insurance fraudster who suddenly decided to turn murderer.” He swallowed thickly for a moment as he recalled Higgins pushing him out of the line of fire. “He was aiming at me, but Juliet – she pushed me out of the way. I didn’t even realize she’d been hit, at first.”

“You do know she’d be upset if she knew you were feeling guilty about her saving your life, right?” Rick questioned, immediately picking up on the heavy blanket of guilt their friend was wearing.

“Yeah, I know,” Thomas acknowledged neutrally, unwilling to absolve himself of fault until he saw Higgins’ recovering form with his own eyes.

“Why don’t you go get cleaned up, and we’ll wait here in case there’s any update?” TC suggested, recognizing the investigator’s familiar stubborn streak, and knowing they wouldn’t convince the man of anything right now.

“Mm,” Magnum hummed, his face still cast downwards as the feeling of light-headedness intensified. Trading glances, TC and Rick decided to cut him some slack. They’d give him another ten minutes and then try again to get him to go change.

Thomas, in the meanwhile, was beginning to feel increasingly disconnected. What had begun as some minor dizziness was growing, and he was vaguely aware that his vision was darkening at the edges and had been for some time. A dull ache in his side was growing angrier as time went on, and he absently wondered what was causing it.

“Tommy?” Rick voice pulled his focus back, and Magnum managed to meet the other man’s worried expression through blurry eyes. “Go get changed, man.”

Thomas nodded and lifted a hand upwards, the now standing bar owner pulling him up to his feet. He swayed momentarily as his vision tunneled dangerously, Rick steading him with both hands. “You okay, Thomas?”

“Yeah,” he breathed out, his eyes cast downwards once more. “Just tired.”

“We’ll be here waiting for you when you get back,” Rick said, giving the man gentle nudge in the direction of the washroom.

Thomas managed two steps before he faltered, his knees suddenly turning to jelly as they folded beneath him. He was out before his head struck the floor.

* * *

Waking up was a slow and arduous process. His body was heavy and blanketed by fatigue while his mind seemed incapable of registering any more than the simplest of inputs. He was warm, which was a welcome change, having felt inexplicably chilled earlier despite Hawaii’s temperate climate. Also, the ache in his side had been muffled, its intensity reduced to a minor point of discomfort versus outright pain. It was nice, and he sighed, content at feeling warm and comfortable, without a care in the world.

“Did he just sigh?” Higgins’ voice floated over him, and the thought of her created a tiny crack in the state of contentedness he was enjoying.

“Maybe?” Rick replied.

“It’s about time for him to wake up,” Calvin groused. “The doc figured he’d be conscious hours ago.” Magnum frowned as he processed his friend’s words, the underlying worry in the man’s tone enlarging the fissure that was threatening his relaxed state.

“I think he’s listening to us,” Higgins stated, having noted the change in the P.I.’s expression.

“Tommy, open your eyes if you’re awake,” Rick coaxed, the man’s voice suddenly much closer than before. The bar owner’s words were punctuated moments later by a light but insistent tapping on his cheek that made Magnum attempt to roll his head away in irritation.

“Yup, you were right,” Calvin stated with a smile. “He’s waking up.”

“Open those eyes and say hi to Jules before she has to go back to her room,” Rick cajoled.

Go back to her room? The odd statement stuck in Magnum’s befuddled brain, and he clung to the words as an anchor to try and figure out what was going on. His features scrunched up in thought as he tried to recall the events from earlier. He remembered the satisfaction of a closed case and joking with Higgins afterwards. There was bright sunshine and something about shaved ice, none of which helped him decipher Rick’s words.

“Surely attempting to save your life counts for something,” Juliet tried, her tone a mixture of teasing and genuine worry.

Magnum’s brow furrowed again as he turned over her words. With a sudden, desperate gasp, his eyes flew open, searching for the woman who he’d last seen nearly unresponsive and covered in blood. “Hig…” was all he managed to say before his throat closed up and had him coughing against its dryness.

TC held a straw to his lips, and he drank gratefully. Magnum’s gaze searched for Juliet as soon as he was done; he visibly relaxed when he saw her upright and looking at him with concern. “You alright?” he asked, his voice still reedy and somewhat breathless.

With a smile, she replied, “I’m not the one who’s been unconscious for the last 24 hours.” Seeing the expression of confusion on his face and recognizing that he might not yet be up to their typical verbal sparring, she added, “I’m fine and will be going home tomorrow morning.”

“Afternoon,” Rick automatically corrected, suggesting they’d had this conversation a few times already.

Higgins merely rolled her eyes, but her smile stayed firmly in place for a few seconds before her expression turned serious. “Why didn’t you say anything about being hurt?”

“Didn’t know,” Magnum replied, realizing he still had no idea how he’d ended up in a hospital bed. “What happened?”

“The CSIs were able to give us a pretty good idea,” TC began. “You must have been turning when Collins shot Higgy.”

“The bullet sliced through her inner arm, nicking an artery, before continuing on and entering your side, a few inches below your armpit,” Rick continued. “With all the blood on your shirt, no one realized you’d been hit until you collapsed in the waiting room.”

“Oh,” Thomas responded, his mind still moving sluggishly beneath the narcotics that kept his pain in check. “So, home tomorrow?” he asked, blinking owlishly.

The friends grinned as they watched Thomas’ eyes grow heavier and heavier with each passing second. As he lost his battle with consciousness, Rick chuckled, “Maybe wait till you can stay awake longer than two minutes, buddy.”

The trio laughed softly as they settled down to once more wait for the sleeping man to rejoin them, confident now that he’d eventually be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to AZGirl for proofing; all remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> This story was based on the day 30 prompt: Now where did that come from? wound reveal / ignoring an injury / internal organ injury
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts if you're so inclined!


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